In a recent movie roundtable
discussion, out actor Jonathan Groff discussed how the HBO series
Looking approached sex on screen.

HBO will premiere Looking: The Movie
on Saturday, July 23. The feature-length film ties up loose ends
from the sudden cancellation of the gay drama after two seasons on
the premium cable network. Looking revolved around three gay
men living in San Francisco. Patrick (played by Jonathan Groff) came
to the city to find love; Dom (Murray Barlett) is a middle-aged
waiter looking to fulfill his father's dream of owning a successful
restaurant; and Agustin (Frankie J. Alvarez) struggles with his art
and relationships. Russell Tovey and Raul Castillo play love
interests for Groff's character, while Daniel Franzese joined the
cast in the second season and plays a prominent role in the movie.

When asked whether a film was necessary
to conclude the series, Groff said that did not realize how
unfinished the story was until he read the screenplay.

“When I read the screenplay, it sort
of dawned on me how unfinished the show was,” Groff
said.

When Out editors asked, “How
did Looking approach sex on screen?” Groff credited director
Andrew Haigh for making the sex “feel real.”

“He's a genius at capturing those
moments. The sex is informative because it shows reality and not
just people with greased bodies fucking away with music playing in
the background. It's also connected to what is happening in the
story. … There's a level of reality that made the sex feel
political and essential to the storytelling,” he said.

“As a straight guy, there was a lot I
had to learn about,” Castillo said. “People are afraid of what
they don't understand, and if they're afraid they don't want to learn
about it. But it's not all that different. What I learned about
male intimacy on Looking deepened my condition as a human
begin. I learned so much more about my gay friends and what they had
going on when they had sex. Luckily I was around people who were very
thoughtful and careful with me and how I approached the work. I
wasn’t humiliated in any way if I didn’t understand something. I
was educated. That helped me build the character and tell the story
the best way I could, especially in situations that were new to me.”